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Abstract

A common objective in the treatment of measured tides is the mathematical separation by harmonic analysis of certain periodic components which can be used to simulate the astronomical tide. Traditionally, astronomical or predicted tides have been represented by the sum of several such components, each one due to a particular aspect of the tide-producing forces. Once determined, the same set of parameters governing each periodic component may be used to predict the tide during any desired time period at a given location. These parameters are known as the tidal constants for that location. Although a number of different methods have been developed for determining tidal constants, both before and since the advent of electronic computing techniques, one rarely finds that any of these are intended for practical application by nonspecialists. This is particularly true in the case of the scientist or technician who has a collection of tidal records and would like to utilize them to accurately predict tides by some convenient means. This manual has th«~refore been written with the general user in mind. It is assumE~d that the reader has some familiarity with general reference works on the subject of tides.